Drop-leaf table



F. GIBERSON DROP V LEAF TABLE Filed June 8,v 1945 Aug.- '12, 1947 2 Sheets Sheet 1 INVENTOR. FRANK GIBERSONI y ATT O'RNEY Aug. 12,1947.

F. GEBEZRSON 7 DROP LEAF TABLE Filed June 8, 1945 2 SheetsSheet 2 INVENTOR.

FRANK GIBERSON ATTORNEYB Patented Aug. 12, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to drop leaf tables and i particularly swinging leg tables.

As heretofore designed, swinging leg drop leaf tables have sufficed for light loads, but have employed structural principles not compatible with sturdiness Also difficulty has been experienced in establishing an accurately vertical relation of the legs due to multiplication of any slight inaccuracy in installing the pivotal ends of the leg-mounting, swinging arms. Provision has further been lacking for positively retaining the legs in their outwardly swung positions.

An object of the invention is to so mount and guide the swinging leg-carrying arms of a drop leaf table as to assure considerably greater strength than permitted by prior practice.

Another object is to provide an adjustment for the pivots of the swinging arms, permitting the pivotal axes to be disposed accurately vertical in the course of assembly. 7

A further object is to provide in a simple manner for locking the legs in their expanded position, thus safeguarding the drop leaves against accidental collapse and substantially assuring that a full expansion of the legs will be utilized.

These and various other objects are obtained by the construction hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein: I

Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of the improved table with its legs outwardly'swung.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the table, with its legs inwardly swung.

Fig. 3,is an end elevational view of the table with its leaves dropped.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary bottom view of anadjustable bushing mounting one of the arm pivot pins.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 66 of Fig. 1, showing a wedge-like abutment, one of which holds each arm in expanded position.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the legs and its supporting arm.

In these views, the reference character I designates the fixed center leaf of my improved table and 2 a pair of drop leaves hinged at 3 to opposite margins of the center leaf. Mounted on and downwardly spaced from the mid portion of the leaf l is an elongated horizontal board 4 held, rigidly in place by four spacer blocks. Lateral margins of the board are secured by screws 5 to a pair 6 of said blocks and the ends of the desired swinging of four arms 8 closely fitted between the leaf I and board 4, the outer ends of said arms rigidly carrying legs 9. The inner ends of the arms 8 rigidly carry vertical pivot pins l0 preferably press-fitted in drilled openings of the arms. These pins project adequately above and below the arms 8 to be journaled in upper and lower bushings l I and I2 rigidly set into the leaf 1 and board 4 and secured in place by screws l3. It is highly desirable that these pins be perfectly vertical since each leg is definitely parallel to the corresponding pivot pin and any slight tilting of the pins will result in a conspicuous incline of the 1egs,.due to the much greater length of the latter. It is difficult to so set the bushings l I and 12 into the members I and 4 as to assure perfect vertical alignment of the bushing sockets, since'said members will be formed in most instances of wood, which does not lend itself to high accuracy. It is preferred, therefore, to locate the sockets of the lower bushings l2 in a slightly eccentric relation to said bushings, as seen in Fig, 5, so that a rotative adjustment of these bushings may serve to correct any slight lack of vertical alignment of the upper and lower sockets before the screws l3 are applied- I When the arms 8 are swung to engage the blocks 1, as illustrated in Fig. 2, this establishes a location of the legs beneath the corner portions of the center leaf I, strongly supporting the latter while permitting the leaves 2 to drop. It is preferred to bevel the end faces of the blocks '1 to exactly conform to the contiguous arms. When the arms 8 are 'in their outwardly swung positions (Fig; 1) .of engagement with the blocks 6, the legs are positioned to strongly support the leaves 2 in their raised positions, said arms also then having considerable supporting contact with the leaves 2. The ends of the blocks 6 are beveled more acutely than the blocks 1 to conform to the more acute inclinations of the arms, when outwardly swung.

It is desirable to restrain the arms 8 from accidental inward swinging when supporting the drop leaves, as otherwise said arms may yield to pressure inadvertently applied to the legs, causing the drop leaves to either collapse or receive inadequate support. To lock the arms against such yielding, two wedge-like stops M are so se- 3 V cured to the bottom face of each leaf 2 that the arms ride under such stops in approaching the blocks 6, clearing such stops at the moment of engagement of the arms with said blocks. The leaves 2 may be held sufficiently raised in outwardly swinging the arms to allow the arms to pass the stops M or may rest on the arms as the latter are swung, the wedge shape of the stops adapting them to raise the leaves slightly; When the leaves drop or are dropped to'their use posi-. tions upon engagement of the arms with the blocks 6, the arms are firmly locked between said a dual purpose in strongly and rigidly supporting the board 4, while limiting outward andinward swinging of the arms. Said board also serves a dual purpose in accurately guiding the arms'in 1 their swinging travel and further mounting the pivot pins II). It is of vital importance that the board 4 has a considerable outward extent beyond the pivot pins, since this permits confining a considerable length ofthe arms between said board and the leaf l. Without this, provision a load on the table would entail shearing stresses on the pins in acting under a leveragedetermined by the length of the arms, and the table would be safe only for light loads.

What I claim is: V

1. In adrop leaf table, a fixed leaf, a drop leaf, means hinging the drop leaf to the fixed leaf, supporting legs for the table, a pair of swinging arms each rigidly carrying one of said legs, a guide for said arms downwardly spaced from the center portion of the fixed leaf, pivotsfor said arms jointly mountedin the fixed leaf and guide, the arms being fitted between the fixed leaf and guide, and a support for the guide interposed between the fixed leaf and guide and limiting swinging of both arms.

2. In a drop leaf table, a fixed leaf, adrop leaf, means hinging the drop leaf to the fixed leaf, supporting legs for the table, a pair of swinging arms each rigidly carrying one of said legs, a guide for said arms downwardly spaced from the center portion of the fixed leaf,'pivots for said arms jointly mounted in the fixed leaf and guide, the arms being fitted between the fixed leaf and guide, a, support forthe guide carried between said arms by the fixed leaf and limiting outward swinging of the arms, and two additionalsupports for the guide carried by the fixed leaf. and spaced laterally from thelfirst-mentioned support to respectively limit inward swinging of the respective arms.

3. In a drop leaf table, a fixed leaf, a pair of drop leaves, means hinging the drop leaves to opposite margins of the fixed leaf, a guide downwardly spaced from the center portion of the fixed leaf, four relatively spaced supports for the guide carried by the-fixed leaf, four swinging arms each rigidly carrying one of said legs, a

guide for said arms downwardly spaced from the center portion of the fixed leaf, pivots for-said arms jointly mounted in the fixed leaf and guide, the arms being fitted between the fixed leaf and guide, a support for the guide carried between said arms by the fixed leaf and limiting outward swinging of the arms, and stops secured to the bottom face of the drop leaf and engageable with V the outwardly swung arms to restrain them from inward swinging, whereby the arms are locked in their outwardly swung positions between said stops and said supDOit, said hinged means affording an upward disengagement of the stops from said arms for the purpose of swinging the arms inward.

5. A drop leaf table as set forth in claim 4, said stops having a wedge shape such that they present inclined faces to-the arms as the latter swing out and present approximately vertical faces to the arms in their maximum outward positions,

6. In a drop leaf table, afixed leaf, a dropleaf, means hinging the drop leaf to the fixed leaf, supporting legs for the table, a pair of swinging arms eachrigidly carrying one 'of :said legs, a guide board for said arms downwardly spaced from and parallel to said fixed leaf, pivots for said arms jointly mounted in the mid portion of said board and thefixed leaf, the arms being fitted between the fixed'leaf and board, and supports for said board, additionally formin'gstops limiting swinging of the arms, said supports being interposed between the margin of the board and the fixed leaf.

rnANkoreERsoN,

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file'of this patent;

UNI'IED STATES PATENTS Number Name r V 'Dat'e 407,908 Stockman July 30, 1889 2,049,114 Gallamore I. July 28,1936 2,180,046 Gleissner Nov. 14,1939 1,318,970 Coady Oct. 1 4, 1919 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 'Great' Britain Apr. 26, 1939 

